Mystical Silence
by nerdypurdy
Summary: [H-Hr, Post-Hogwarts, slightly AU] It's been twelve long years since Voldemort's demise...life has resumed...and evil has remained silent...too silent. Life is about to get very, very different for everyone as the mystical silence ends. (Chapter 2 up)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All original Harry Potter characters do not belong to me.  The plot and other characters belong to myself and Calvin Potterson.  **

_WHEN I heard the learn'd astronomer, _

_When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, _

_When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, _

_When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, _

_How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, _

_Till__ rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself, _

_In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, _

_Look'd__ up in perfect silence at the stars._

****

**_"When I heard the learn'd astronomer" by Walt Whitman_**

****

****

**Chapter 1**

A little more than a decade had passed since the demise of Voldemort.  A war had been fought…a long, arduous war...one that ended because of a single man...who had the help of two others; a loud, boisterous male and a quiet, calculating female.

Since the end of that war, life had changed drastically; generally for the better.  The magical governments had bestowed tributes, medals and honors on the trio who had destroyed the Dark enemy that had haunted England, and indeed, the rest of the globe.

There had been a few major changes…reforms in the lifestyle of house elves…the banning of the both the death penalty and the Dementor's Kiss.  Cornelius Fudge had been mercilessly sacked by the political allies of the Order of the Phoenix, and generally, most Ministers were now made of sterner stuff than those who reigned when the twentieth century had been in its twilight years.

And there had been many minor changes.

The woman who had greatly aided in the endeavor to destroy Lord Voldemort vanished from the Wizarding world.  

The red-haired boy who was no longer a boy became more reclusive, focusing only on his one passion, and was perhaps, as some suggested, mentally damaged by the carnage he had witnessed.  

And the dark-haired, green-eyed savior simply shrugged off his fame...and decided there was only one way to bring safety to the Wizarding and Muggle public.  So he entered politics.

*~*~*~*

_June 8, 2008___

_London__, __England___

Harry Potter had his hands behind his back as he looked out the window and into the sunrise.  As usual, one thought prevailed over all others in his mind.  _I hate this job._  Sighing, he allowed himself to retreat into his memories of his younger days…or rather his memories of the one woman he wanted to see more than any other…

*Flashback*

_"Hermione!__  You can't leave…not after," Harry gulped, "What...what...happened in the battle."_

_"What, Harry?  What happened in the battle?"_

_"I realized something…I'm in love with you.  I always have been."_

_Hermione shook her head.  "No…you're not in love with me…not really."_

_"Shouldn't I be the one to decide that?"_

_"Harry…you only think you're in love with me because I got hurt.  I know you love me, but…you can't be in love with me."_

_"Why can't I be?  Because you're not good enough for me?"_

_"No, because you don't know what real love is."_

_"I know what it is!  I know…because I feel it every time I look at you.  Every time that I see your eyes…hear your voice…feel your touch…every time that I'm with you."_

_Hermione choked back the tears that threatened to fall. _

_Harry pleaded with her.  "Please…just let me love you.  If you don't love me, I'll understand.  If you can look me in my eyes and say that you don't love me…I won't push it anymore…"_

_Hermione looked into his emerald eyes and told the biggest lie of her life.  As she said the words she would forever regret, she could see his heart breaking.  "I don't love you."_

_She turned away from him as fast as she could and she left…left him, left Ron, left the entire wizarding world._

*Present*__

_If I had kept my ruddy trap shut, she'd probably be standing next to me right now…_Harry thought.

The door opened, shattering Harry's reveries, and in stepped his Chief of Staff...Draco Malfoy.

Granted, ten years ago, they hated each other's guts...but Harry knew that if he were going to be the Minister of Magic it would be beneficial to have Malfoy on his side.  And wouldn't you know it...he was right.

"Good morning, Mr. Minister, His Excellency and the Protector of Our Liberties," Malfoy drawled as he set a sheaf of papers on Harry's desk.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry said good-naturedly as he looked over the scrolls of parchment Malfoy had presented to him, "You know that title was invented by Fudge."

"And you should employ it more often," Malfoy said as he sank into a plush chair in front of Harry's face, "It sounds...aristocratic...deserving of power."

"It _sounds_ like I'm a pompous idiot."

"That too," Malfoy said, smiling wickedly.

Harry rolled his eyes.  "How's Ginny been?" he inquired as he sat in his own chair and began skimming through the scrolls.

"Pregnant."

The scrolls of parchments dropped from Harry's suddenly limp hands and hit his desk.  From there, they rolled off his desk and a few fell into Harry's lap.

He coughed.  "Excuse me?"

"Pregnant," Malfoy said again, amusement at Harry's reaction glinting in his silver eyes.

Harry sighed.  "Please tell me you're joking..."

Malfoy shook his head.  "Sorry, Mr. Minister Sir...but it's official, in eight months or so, Mrs. Virginia Malfoy will give birth to a healthy heir to the coveted Malfoy Estate."

Harry sighed. "I fear for Ginny's sanity."

"And mine?"

He shrugged.  "I could care less."

"Gee, thanks, Harry," Malfoy smirked, "Now, are we going to get on with the Department of Mysteries reports, or what?"

Harry looked over the parchments, his emerald eyes locking with his chief of staff's. "Don't I pay you to go over them for me?"

"No," Draco smirked.  "You pay me to make you look good."

"I see," Harry said with a small chuckle, "Then you're doing a decent job of it...my approval ratings' up another five ticks this week."  He riffled through the Department reports and groaned.  "Another sighting of your father?"

"Yes," Malfoy nodded his confirmation and have a sardonic snigger, "As if everyone didn't see him die in the fires of the Hell that the final battle became."

*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a dark plan was being formulated.

"It's impossible."

Lucius Malfoy's robes swirled as he turned to face the Death Eater who had just dared to speak.  "Is it now, Nott?" he said, malice rushing rampantly from his lips.

Nott trembled under Malfoy's gaze.  "Well...well...."

"Well?"  Malfoy said, continuing to bore his eyes into the man's soul.

  
"Well, it's impossible!"  Nott finally cried, rather pathetically at that.

Malfoy sneered.  "Now why do you say that?"

"Well, getting there for one thing…where do you propose we get a rocket to take us?  And then taking over the mines for another thing, we simply don't have resources to do so."

"Why?  Why am I surrounded by idiots?"  Lucius muttered.

When no answers were forthcoming from his "army", or at least what was left after the final battle at Hogwarts eleven years ago, Malfoy simply shook his head.  "You people forget...we have one thing in our favor."  A sneer came across his face.

*~*~*~*

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**_London_****_, _****_England_****_ (The muggle one…)_**

****

"Granger!"

The director of the European Space Agency…the young, demure, twenty-nine year old Hermione Granger sighed.  _Not again...___

She immediately took off her Virtual Reality glasses and unhooked her portable strap-on keyboard from her arm.  As she got to her feet, she removed the hard-drive, which was smaller than a hundred and fifty page paperback book, from her pocket.  As she placed the personal computer securely in her desk she made certain not to damage the infrared scanners that allowed the PC to work without wires attaching each piece together.  

_Honestly, could this place run without her?_

She opened the door to her office and hurried towards the elevator.  Ever since she had temporarily relocated her office to the research labs for the Columbus Project, it seemed as though every time she had settled into running her calculations and checking with other sources on her e-books stored in her hard-drive that the voice alarm would go off...another problem for Hermione "Superwoman" Granger to solve...

She marveled at her position these days, _How did I get here?_

Twelve years ago, she had no background in muggle science aside from all the books she had read on the subject during her summers.  Unbeknownst to most people, she had a deep fascination and passion with space, second only to magic.  But when she left the wizard world, she ruled that out.  So, she turned to her other love.  Her only setback had been her lack of schooling in the subject, but she was determined.  

After studying for a few weeks, she took the test for the equivalent to a diploma and passed with flying colors.  After that, her parents asked their friend at Cambridge University to consider accepting Hermione as a student.  The Cambridge officials had been rather skeptical of Hermione's scientific talent and requested that she take a test to measure her aptitude for and knowledge of the subject.   

So she did...and her scores had been unprecedented for a woman with the proper education, let alone none.  She was accepted immediately and four years later had graduated at the top of her class with offers from all over the world…which led to her unprecedented appointment at the agency... 

The elevator doors swished open as soon as she had placed her palm on the reader, which flashed green, and she walked in with a sense of immense confidence.  "Columbus Level Two," Hermione said crisply.

After a trip of a few seconds, the doors opened again; and she was greeted by the pasty white face of Wilhelm Hauser, E.S.A.'s deputy director.  "All right, Bill, what's gone wrong this time?"

Bill nodded and he lead her around the busy work of the lab-coat attired Columbus workers, many of whom sat in the same position Hermione had been in while in her office.  They were reaching over with their right (or should they be left-handed, left) hands, to type furiously on the lightweight, thin keyboards on their opposite forearms, while reading whatever data they imputed on their virtual reality glasses.

"Um...vell, ve...um...seem...seem...seem to be...uh..."  He fiddled with his VR glasses as he continued to stammer nervously.

In a quick move, Hermione snapped the VR glasses off Bill's face and put them over her own.  Data streamed in front of her eyes, altering the three-dimensional images of the Columbus, which appeared to be only a quarter of a meter in front of her.

"Well, Bill, you're right," she said, "This is a problem."

"Dat is vhat I thought," Bill stated in his pronounced German accent as he nodded, sweat dripping from his forehead, "Vhat do ve do?"

Hermione laughed darkly.  "'What do we do?'  There's nothing we can do Bill...someone stole the L-3 transmutation scanners, and there's no way she's gonna go to the Moon without them."

Hermione turned to look at Bill as she took the glasses of her eyes.  One of her patented glares was nearly enough to send the poor man to his knees.  "It's really missing?" she said quietly, almost a threat in her words.

"Um...ja...d-dat vould appear to be...da...case..."

Never before in his adult life had Deputy Director Wilhelm Hauser wished that he was dead...but seeing the expression on Hermione's face was more than enough to make him want to crawl into a hole.

"Bill!" she finally exploded, "The only way to mine the ice - which I may add, is the only reason Columbus is going to fly - is if we have the L-3 scanners!  Honestly!  How did they just disappear?  They're not the kind of things to disappear like that!"

Bill cowered slightly.  "I.....I...dunno...the L-3s just...vanished...as if....b-by...magic."

The last thing he expected those words to do was cause Hermione Granger to look away from him and snap her attention around the building...but they did.  After she had put Bill's VR glasses back on and hijacked his keyboard and hard-drive, she began rapidly inputting data into her computer.

For the first time in Bill's life, he heard Hermione Granger swear.  Slowly, she took off the glasses and slipped them into her pocket.  "Bill," she said slowly, "We're going to have to call the Minister."

"Of Defence?"  Bill said, his voice still shaky.

"No," Hermione said as she turned around and stormed towards the elevator, only turning her head to say the last two words at Bill, "Of Magic."

As soon as Hermione had disappeared, Bill ran a clammy hand across his sweaty forehead.  _That makes sense... we'll just call the minister...of...  _"WHAT?!" he yelled the last part aloud. 

In her office, Hermione crawled on her hands and knees and tossed some green powder into the fireplace, "Ministry of Magic," she said softly.

*~*~*~*~*

A/N:  I'm sorry about Harry's flashback…I've reread what I've wrote and it sounds like some soap opera…but, as it is, it's rather necessary for the story so…just forgive me…please…

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update...well, any of my stories really. I'm trying to work on them whenever I have free time but my life has become extremely hectic. Anyway, enjoy this update!**

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**Chapter 2**

By the year 2008, the Muggle world had changed drastically from the way it was upon Harry's graduation in 1996. Terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center in the United States, the Internet had expanded, and Europe had unified as a federal state under the moniker of the European Union.

Technology had drastically improved, with strides being taken in the sectors of virtual- and nano-technology. And three hundred thousand miles away, the discovery of polar ice on the Moon led to numerous international expeditions under the aegis of NASA or the European, Russian and Chinese space agencies. The selenian ice mines had given the world ample reason to begin preparation for an international lunar colony, which was to be supervised by the United Nations.

Despite these leaps forward in progress, the Muggle penchant for warfare and barbarianism had once again reared its ugly head. After the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin in early 2008, the military coupled with former key members of the old KGB took over the government in a violent coup d'etat. The Russians announced their intention to withdraw from the U.N., and began massing troops on the Iraqi and Afghan borders...threatening two nations that had been admitted into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization barely months before. Whether the Russians were making a blustery gamble or were seriously intending to make a war and force the rest of the planet to come was something only time could tell...

And it was to this world situation that a crisis was birthed on Columbus Level Two in London, England. It was a crisis that would turn every world, Muggle and Wizard, on its ear...

* * *

"Ministry of Magic," Hermione Granger said as she kneeled in front of the now green flames of her office fireplace. At first, she hadn't wanted to have a fireplace in her office, but now...she was grateful she did.

She reached a receptionist, "Hello, you've reached the Ministry of Magic. If you would like to make-"

"I need to talk to the Minister of Magic!"

"Do you have the required security clearance?"

Hermione shook her head, "Probably not, but-"

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you speak to him."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, Miss?"

"Does the word 'Voldemort' ring a bell with you?" Hermione seethed, frustration beginning to take over her being. You'd think that people would still _remember_ when you helped save the bloody world.   
  
The receptionist's image in the fire actually paled slightly, "Y-You-Know- Who?"

"Yes," Hermione said sharply, "Lord Voldemort. I helped defeat him, and I am a personal friend of Harry James Potter." _Or at least, I was._ "And I need to speak to the Minister of Magic now."

Suddenly, the image in the fire changed as the receptionist was visibly pulled away. Her visage was replaced with a paler, masculine face with stormy gray eyes and platinum hair. Hermione gulped, _it can't be! He can't be the Minister!_ Her mouth dropped to her chest. "Malfoy?!"

"Granger?" Malfoy said, his voice dripping of disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" they both exclaimed at the same time. Hermione continued, "You can't be the Minister!"

_Everybody's a bloody critic_, he thought. "And I sure as Merlin am not," Malfoy countered, "The Minister's not here right now, and the receptionist called me down here because you kept harassing her."

"I need to speak to the Minister!" Hermione said, her nostrils flaring with impatience, "I don't care who he is. There are traces of magic all over the Columbus, and he needs to know about it."

"The what?" Malfoy responded. _She's finally lost it, I gather_...

She swore. "I forgot! You guys don't know what the Columbus is."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "Should we?"

"You didn't have to, but now you do."

"What the heck are you talking about, Granger?! You're talking like some sort of... madwoman!"

Hermione sighed. "It's really complicated, Malfoy. I'm gonna need to come talk to you and the Minister in person."

"I still don't understand. You're gone for over a decade and now all of a sudden you want to talk to Harry?"

"No, not Harry! The Minister!"

"Harry _is_ the Minister, Granger!"

Her face paled and her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "What?"

"Harry's the Minister now. Of course, you'd know that if you had bothered to keep in touch with anyone."

"Well," she muttered, "this complicates things a bit."

Draco furrowed his brows in confusion, "It does?"

She exhaled sharply. "Just forget about it. Look, I need you to clear Harry's schedule for the rest of the day."

At Draco's look of disbelief she added, "This is more important. Trust me."

"Trust you??"

"Yes! Trust me! I know you don't like me and all, but this is a matter of life or death and I need you to work with me!"

"Life or death?"

"Yes. Now, I'll be over there in an hour and I'll explain everything better, okay? Just clear his schedule."

Draco clenched and unclenched his jaw as though he didn't like what he was about to say but had to say it anyway. "Fine...but this better not be a waste of time, Granger!"

"It won't be!" she yelled back as her face disappeared in a rush of green flames.

_Unfortunately_, she thought as she pulled back into her office.

* * *

Draco Malfoy stormed into Harry's office, inadvertently slamming into Colin Creevey and ruining the picture of the British champion Chudley Cannons with the Minister of Magic.

Malfoy looked Harry directly in the eyes, locking his grey with Harry's green. "Finally, you're out of that bloody meeting! It's Granger. She called an hour ago. She's got some kinda crisis at the Muggle place she works and demands to speak to you."

Colin Creevey, whose personality had not changed much since his graduation from Hogwarts brightened at the possibility of getting more snapshots of Harry. Ignoring the rest of the Cannons, he snapped a perfect shot of Harry and Malfoy as Harry's jaw dropped. "The _Prophet's_ gonna love this," he said, sniggering slightly.

Draco snapped at him, "You! Out! All of you get out of here!" The Cannons and Colin left the room, muttering under their breath.

As soon as the last Cannon left their sight, Harry asked, "Granger?! As in..."

A figure appeared in his doorway. "Hi, Harry." Harry and Malfoy both did a double take.

"How'd you get around the wards?" Malfoy screamed, his composure lost for a moment, "We can't just let anyone waltz in here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want me to go out and try again?" Hermione snapped at him.

Harry, meanwhile, had a utterly lost expression on his face. Then, without warning, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground...dead to the world.

Hermione sighed. "Well, that's not good."

As soon as Harry had collapsed, dozes of Magical Law Enforcement Wizards Apparated into the Minister's office. A few Healers soon joined the rest and began working on Harry.

"Now look what you've done!" Draco said to Hermione.

Hermione sighed, "And this is my fault how? Honestly! If that's his reaction now, I'd hate to see what happens when I tell him the real news..."

"What," Malfoy said as he crossed his arms, sarcasm dripping from his words, "you're pregnant," he jerked a thumb at the unconscious Harry, "and he's the father?"

"Oh, please. That sort of thing only happens to you, Malfoy."

"For your information, I'm married!"

"Like that would change anything," Hermione cut her eyes to Malfoy, "So who's the unlucky lady?"

He smirked. "Ginny Weasley...or should I say, Malfoy?"

Hermione laughed and then cut her response short at the steely glare Harry's chief of staff was giving her, "You're joking."

"You wish."

Hermione sighed; _the things that one misses when they flee from their world with the firm resolve never to come back_. "And I suppose now you're going to say that she's pregnant as well."

He laughed. "As a matter of fact, I was."

Hermione suddenly had a yearning to take comfort in a soft plush chair...otherwise she was quite certain that she would be joining Harry in taking an unexpected snooze on the carpet.

Finally, the Healers peeled back, and the Minister of Magic stood up and carefully adjusted his glasses. _I fight the Dark Lord in person and kill him with my own spell, I work with a former Slytherin, I've seen more terror than any wizard alive...and yet I have to faint when she walks in...  
_  
"Hi, Harry," Hermione repeated.

"Um...eh...erm...hi." _Smooth move Potter_, his inner voice complimented sarcastically.

The two stared at each other silently as Draco forced the Healers and Enforcement Wizards from Harry's office. When everyone had left, Draco glanced at the two and said, "Excuse me, but wasn't there some sort of crisis we're supposed to be dealing with?"

"Uh, yes," Hermione looked down at the floor and then back into Harry's eyes. A resolve that had not been there before was now cemented across her visage. "Harry...a very valuable piece of technology was stolen from the E.S.A....and there were signs of Dark activity all around the building."

"Dark activity as in..." Harry replied.

"As in Dark magic, Harry," Hermione finished.

"Point, Granger?" Malfoy drawled, "There's Dark magic everywhere."

"Not at the E.S.A.," she fired back.

"Hold it!" Harry interrupted, "What's the E.S.A.?" Hermione sighed.

"The European Space Agency...I'm the Director there."

"Space?!" Harry asked incredulously.

"What does this have to do with the Ministry?" Malfoy snarled, "And why does it require the attention of the Minister?"

"Because magic was used to steal a very important piece of technology which was highly classified."

"Again," Draco asked, "why is this such a big deal?"

"Because that piece of technology allows you to get to the moon without high-power rockets to get you out of the Earth's atmosphere!"

"And what," Harry said, slightly uncertain, "would Dark forces want with such a device?"

"We have a Selenian Ice Mining base on the moon with over 300 muggles working there...and 20 nuclear devices."

Harry's eyes blinked. "Why did Europe place twenty nuclear devices on the Moon?"

"It was the only way to get access to the Selenian Ice."

"Okay..." Harry said as he began to get really, really worried.

She continued, "The fact that there are nuclear devices on the moon was highly classified. No one outside of the E.S.A. or government knew about it...no one. See, we use small-scaled detonations to break through and forge actual mines. While it's the only way to do it, the public would panic if we released the information."

"This is ridiculous!" Malfoy snarled, his patience finally at an end. "Dark wizards don't need nukes!"

"They do if they wanted to create panic among muggles without revealing the fact that they're wizards," she snapped.

Harry sighed. "Aren't we kind of jumping to conclusions here? There's no reason to suspect that they'll attack the mines."

Hermione sighed. "You don't understand, Harry. If Dark wizards stole the L-3 scanners, there's no other logical place for them to go. The International Space Station isn't enough of a target...but the L-3 can allow them to get their hands on some easy nuclear weapons. I should know...I invented the bloody scanner."

"Well," Harry said, "Couldn't they just want to go to the moon and not the base?"

"For what, Harry? A sight-seeing tour?" Hermione replied.

Harry sighed. "Good point."

Draco interjected, "So what do we do about it?"

Hermione sighed, "That's what we need to figure out....but I think that the first thing we should do is get you guys to the E.S.A."

Malfoy shook his head. "No way. We're not taking the Minister anyplace where Dark magic has been around."

"Oh, for crying out loud...I defeated Voldemort, Draco! I'm not some sort of...china doll!"   
  
Malfoy shook his head vehemently, causing his hair to tumble in front of his eyes. "No can do Potter. Your place is here. You're not some sixteen year-old cavalier anymore."

Hermione snapped at Draco, "Well, what else do you expect to do? Bring the E.S.A. here?!"

Malfoy looked over to Harry, his eyes narrowing.

Harry looked at him for a second then shook his head. "No."

"Merlin! Potter, you're the only wizard I can even think of who could possibly pull it off!"

Draco snapped. "Oh, come on, you guys! Malfoy, if you feel that uncomfortable about it, just bring some Aurors."

Draco asked, "Well, why do we even need to go to the E.S.A. in the first place?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe because it's our technology that's gonna allow us to get to the moon?"

"Whoa! Hold it there! You never said anything about us going to the moon!" Malfoy exclaimed.

"And how do you suggest we stop them?!"

"I don't know!" Hermione sighed. "Malfoy...are you a man or a ferret?"

"Well, I've been both."

"Merlin! Would you guys just stop?!" Harry interrupted. "Jeez...you're acting like we're back at Hogwarts!"

Both Hermione and Draco fell silent.

"Well, Harry," Hermione said roughly, as she turned to the Minister of Magic, "Here's my advice. Let's go there, get some people we can trust and solve this before it escalates. The only other option is to be Cornelius Fudge and let the crisis dictate to us."

Harry continued, "You're right, Hermione...but we need to work together, you guys, not argue. And as far as planning what we need to do, I know just the person for the job..."


End file.
